Revolving storage device



A. H. JONES.

REVOLVING STORAGE DEvlC E. APPLICATION FILED APR-16,1921.-

Patented Sept. 19, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET las :5 5-5 a JN V EN TOR.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 19, 1922.

"attain Litres v ALEXANDER. HoUsToN zroNns, or GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA.

REVOLVING STORAGE DEVICE.

Application filed. April 16,1921. Serial o. 461,953.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that Lrinnxnrmnn HoUsroN JoNas, a citizen of the UnitedStates, 'and' resident of Glendale, 1n the county 0t Los' Angelcs, Stateof California, haveinvented new, and useful Improvements in a RevolvingStorage Device, of which the followingv storage of articles inanatmosphere having fixed qualities differing from the ambientatmosphere and having provision for load ing and discharge with aminimum change of the atmosphere'within the storage com partment. Theparticular embodiment of the invention disclosed herein is thatapplicable to storage of ice cream, ices,-confectionery, foods and thelike. 1 It is the primary object of this, invention to provide a storagechamber having a loading and d1scharge openlng and a con-..

tainer therein for the articles so arranged as to occlude the ingress ofthe ambient atmosphere to the articles therein not being loaded orunloaded, and the egress of the atmosphere within the containerimmediately surrounding the articles being loaded or unloaded.

These objects are obtained by means ofin the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a section in elevation showing somewhat diagrammatically theelements of a cooler suitable for the storage of ices and ice cream; andFig. 2 is a horizontal section through the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the draw ing, 3 indicates a walledchamber having a door 4 for loading and a door 5 for unloading thearticles to be stored. In the present embodiment the walls of thecompartment are heat insulated. The door 4 opens into an anteroom 6 andthe latter has a door 7 com municating with a vestibule 8. The anteroomand vestibule are auxiliary to coolers for convenience in hindering theentrance into the exit from the cooler air. Cans of ice cream indicatedby 9 may be loaded into the anteroom which may then be closed 01f fromthe vestibule 8 while the cans are being loaded into the storagechamber.

Disposed within the storage chamber is a revolving container 10. Thiscontainer is preferably annular in form and divided by verticalpartitions into compartments. For further convenience these compartmentsare divided by horizontal shelves, theshelves being perforate topermitthe circulation of air,

while the vertical walls 11 are imperforate."

The inner wall of the container indicated by 12 is imperforate, whilethe periphery of By this construction thecontainer is open. acylindrical stack for the circulation of air is formed, at the center ofthe container,

and disposed therein arerefrigerating pipes l3. .Disposed-about. the.periphery of the contalne'r are refrigeratingipipes 14:. At. the centerof the stack is-a fan.15 to circulate the airwhich flows inthegdirectionofthe arrows shown in Fig. 1. The container. is mounted upon trucks 16ha'ving'wheels-ridlng upon a circular trackaso that the container may berevolved; The compartments .75 in the container are preferablyof thesame width as thewload-ing and discharge doors,

andwipers- 17 .are disposed so :as to cut off the. communication"offlthe anteroom and chamberat the edgesof the door." To further sealthe chamber a closure plate may be secured to the chamber at the top ofthe door so as to-register with the top of a compartment if desired. I

Assume that it is desired to load thecontainer and that the articles tobe loaded are cans of ice cream 9 which have been placed in theanteroom. Normally doors 4 and 5 are closed. Door dis now opened, andthe container revolved so that an empty compartment registers with thedoor. The ice cream cans are then loaded into the compartment. Duringthe time that door 4: is open, fan 15 should not operate. The onlyopportunity for the cold air to pass from the storage chamber into theanteroom is through .the compartment .in registration with the opendoor. Likewise, when unloading, the door 5 is opened and the containerrevolved so that the compartment from which goods are to be takenregisters with the door opening. At this time the fan 15 should not beoperating. It is obvious that the opportunity for air to move to or fromthe storage chamber is a minimum by reason of one compartment onlyregistering with the open door. 7 To keep the chamber closed from theambient atmosphere is important in a cooler of this character. It isusual to store ice cream for twenty-four hours after it has b en rem dfrom the freezer in order to harden it. Opening and closing of the doorsto the cooling chamber necessary for loading and unloading permits Warmand moist air to enter the compartment and the cool air to flowtherefrom. The moisture in the air Will condense and freeze upon therefrigerating pipes forming an effective insulation so that theefficiency of the refrigerating system is appreciably decreased. Eventhe moisture contained Within the exhalations of the Workers Within thecooling chamber will cause an appreciable deposit of frozen moistureupon the refrigerating pipes. It is also obvious that the flow of coolair from the storage chamber and the inflow of hot air decreases theefficiency of the chamber. A structure of the character just describedalso has the advantage of permitting a system of manifests to be used inloading and discharging. It. is also obvious that the in vention isapplicable to storage structures wherein a different degree of humidityis to be maintained Within the chamber from that tion of the atmosphere,said container being provided with vertical Walls dividing it intocompartments for registration of said opening and a stack at the centerthereof for the circulation of atmosphere from top to bottom, saidcompartments being so arranged that a compartment may be moved so as topermit access thereto through said opening and substantially close offthe remainder of the chamber.

2. A structure of the character described comprising in combination aclosed heat insulated chamber having a loading opening in one Wallthereof and a discharge opening spaced therefrom, a revoluble' containerspaced from the top and bottom of said chamber to permit the circulationof at1nosphere, said container being provided with vertical imperforateWalls dividing it into compartments arranged to permit atmosphere tocirculate vertically therethrough' and for registration with saidopenings so that When compartments are in registration therewith theyWill be substantially closed oif from the remainder of the chamber, saidcontainer having a stack at its center Whereby atmosphere may becirculated through said compartments, refrigerating means in saidchamber and means to circulate the atmosphere Within said chamber.

In Witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my namethis 8th day of April, 1921.

ALEXANDER HOUSTON JONES,

